Rafael Nadal will not be participating in the 2012 Cincinnati Masters due to lingering problems with his knee. Nadal has not played on tour since suffering an upset in the second round of Wimbledon earlier this season, a hiatus that cost him a chance to defend his Olympic gold medal. Also, Nadal is one of a trio of high-ranked no-shows for this week’s Toronto Masters.
Nadal’s “Verified Profile” with Twitter tweeted the following statement on Thursday:
“I won't be playing at Cincinnati Open. I am still not ready to play. I have unforgettable moments in 2008. I am continuing with my recup.”
The Spaniard has suffered from injuries in the past, something that many blame on his physical playing style. His most noteworthy injury came in 2009 when again his knees were the problem. That year they prevented him from participating in Wimbledon and they contributed to his demise at Roland Garros where he lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round.
Nadal, despite the injury news and prolonged absence, is currently the fourth favorite to win the 2012 US Open (bet365) although his odds could be drifting soon. Andy Murray has gained ground on the Spaniard in terms of ranking points lately but Murray himself is now suffering from a knee injury, one that has taken him out of Toronto and made him a question mark for next week’s Cincinnati Masters.
Nadal made the quarters in Cincy last season and he only had 180 ranking points to defend this season. Losing those points shouldn’t hurt the World No. 3 that much but if he’s not able to make the US Open final, as he did in 2011, then he may very well suffer a significant ranking slide later this summer.
Several top players have either skipped events lately, withdrawn, or suffered early round upsets possibly due to fatigue. That promises to reignite the debate about the tough tennis schedule as the season is eleven months long.
Regardless of your stance on that issue there appears to be a major opportunity open right now. A player that tennis fans are not used to seeing in the late rounds of Masters events and majors has a chance to make a bigger name for himself.
On that note, Canadian Milos Raonic suddenly has an amazing draw ahead of him in Toronto, one that could plausibly see him play for the title.